Rolling Truck Age Program will not move forward in April

Vancouver Fraser Port Authority to continue to consult on approach to reduce truck-related emissions at the Port of Vancouver  

As we work toward our vision to make the Port of Vancouver the world’s most sustainable port, we are constantly looking for ways to reduce and mitigate the impacts of trade on the environment. For us, this means leading and participating in air quality and climate action programs designed to help conserve energy, reduce air contaminants and greenhouse gas emissions, and promote cleaner, low-emission energy sources. 

Every day, hundreds of container trucks travel across the 1,560 km of major truck routes serving the Port of Vancouver, moving goods and products for all of us. The current fleet of approximately 1,800 vehicles provides an average of 30,000 single-sided port moves per week. Some of the container trucks serving the Port of Vancouver are more than 20 years old. These old, diesel-powered trucks are a significant source of particulate matter, which is known to cause cancer and negatively impact the health of those living along trucking corridors. 

In 2008, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority introduced heightened environmental requirements to reduce air emissions from port container drayage trucks—the first port authority in Canada to do so. We engaged with the drayage sector starting in 2012 on further ways to reduce emissions, with the Rolling Truck Age Program one outcome of those discussions. The Rolling Truck Age Program was designed to phase out the oldest container trucks serving the port to significantly reduce air emissions from trucking activities in the region. 

In September 2022, we advised implementation of the Rolling Truck Age Program would be deferred until April 3, 2023, to allow for truck owner-operators to source program-compliant trucks. However, in light of the current economic landscape and continued pandemic-related issues, we will again defer implementation of the program for no less than nine months.    

In the interim, we will be considering new technologies, as well as federal and provincial fleet greening programs. We intend to reassess our emissions reduction strategy to ensure we progress in a manner that will best achieve the objectives of our Truck Licensing System, which allows trucking companies and their trucks access to serve the Port of Vancouver’s marine container terminals. The port authority will continue to consult with the drayage sector, the port community, government, and local and Indigenous communities to refine the approach moving forward. 

We would like to recognize strong compliance with the requirements of the Rolling Truck Age Program from operators in recent years, which has helped phase out the vast majority of older container trucks serving the port. More than 85% of truck operators are now compliant with the requirements of the Rolling Truck Age Program—benefiting the region’s air quality as well as the health of families and communities throughout the Lower Mainland. Importantly, this includes delivering an estimated 79% reduction in diesel particulate matter. 

The investment in newer, cleaner technology by the majority of truck operators servicing the Port of Vancouver has not gone unnoticed. Future programs to support phasing out truck-related emissions at the Port of Vancouver will recognize these efforts.